The end of the costly, six-year war between the National and American Football leagues was the result of long secret talks. The general manager of the Dallas Cowboys, who was the NFL's principal negotiator, now reveals the details.

A roundup of the sports information of the week

BOATING—Renamed BIG BROAD JUMPER, the boat once known as Maritime won the 194-mile Gateway Marathon for the second year in a row as Bill Wishnick and Allan Brown skippered the 32-foot aluminum craft through the Gulf Stream's eight-foot seas and a 20-knot wind from Palm Beach, Fla. to Grand Bahama Island and back in 5 hours 10 minutes and 52 seconds. Piloted by Jim Wynne last year, the craft was the first all-metal boat ever to win this race.

BOXING—After holding the Orient lightweight championship for 14 years, Flash Elorde, 31, of Manila lost it at last to YOSHIAKI NUMATA, 21, of Japan, who scored a unanimous 12-round decision in Tokyo. Elorde retains his world junior lightweight championship.

FOOTBALL—"I have joined what I believe is the finest organization in pro football," said 6-foot-9, 312-pound ERNIE LADD, after signing with the Houston Oilers of the American Football League. Ladd, an All-AFL tackle for four years who played out his option with San Diego, was involved in an earlier trade with Houston that was nullified by former Commissioner Joe Foss.

GOLF—GARY PLAYER's 18-year-old protégé, BOBBY COLE of Johannesburg, South Africa never trailed in the final round as he defeated Ronnie Shade of Scotland 3 and 2 for the British Amateur golf championship. Cole won from Henri de Lamaze of Paris 2 and 1, and Shade eliminated Gordon Cosh of Scotland 2 and 1 to reach a final that was cut down to 18 holes because of midweek rains.

Phil Rodgers, 25, of La Jolla, Calif., shot a final-day 71-70 for a 72-hole-total 284 to win the $20,000 first prize in the Buick Open in Grand Blanc, Mich. by two strokes.

Invincible MICKEY WRIGHT changed her mind about going on vacation and, like a good shoemaker, stuck to her last long enough to win the second annual Bluegrass Invitational at Kentucky's Hunting Creek club with a six-under-par total of 210 for 54 holes. The $1,500 purse put her alltime winnings at $195,000. Runner-up was Kathy Whitworth, with 220 for $1,100.

Five strokes behind after the first day's play, GEORGE HAGGARTY, a corporation lawyer from Detroit, shot a closing two-under-par 70 for a total 145 to win the U.S. Seniors Golf Association championship in Rye, N.Y.

HANDBALL—"Blasting the ball releases tensions I get from working with computers," said big and powerful Howie Eisenberg. But short, light STEVE SANDLER had the cooler game and defeated Eisenberg 20-21, 21-5, 21-11 in the singles of the National AAU one-wall tournament at Coney Island, N.Y.

HARNESS RACING—The New York State Harness Racing Commission approved Roosevelt Raceway's request to bar show betting in the $25,000 Yankey Trot. Then ARMBRO FLIGHT ($2.80), the mare responsible for the request, trotted away from an eight-horse field and, driven by Joe O'Brien, covered the mile distance in 2:01 2/5 to break the track record for 4-year-old trotting mares.

HOCKEY—The New York Rangers, who have made the playoffs only six times in the last two decades, rehired EMILE (The Cat) FRANCIS in the dual role of coach and general manager. The 39-year-old ex-goalie took over as coach early in the season last year and managed to guide his losing team into a last-place finish for the first time since 1960.

A total of 7,648 entries came in—including the name Zorros—but West Coast Promoter Jack Kent Cooke decided that his new entry in the National Hockey League will be named the LOS ANGELES KINGS. "We're starting out as kings of the NHL, and we intend to live up to that distinction," said Cooke.

HORSE RACING—GRAUSTARK, the winter book favorite to win the Kentucky Derby before his racing career was ended by a broken bone in his hoof, began a new career at stud as a $2.4 million corporation. Of the 40 total shares into which the new Graustark syndicate was divided, Owner John W. Galbreath retained 20 and sold the rest for $60,000 apiece—a memorable tribute to the horse that won seven races before losing to Abe's Hope in the Blue Grass Stakes.

Lady Pitt ($16.40), Walter Blum up, closed with a burst to upset favored Marking Time and win the $87,675 Mother Goose, the middle jewel of the New York Racing Association's Triple Crown for Fillies, at Aqueduct.

Carl Hanford, the trainer who made Kelso the world's richest racehorse with 39 wins and $1,977,896 in purses, resigned from the Bohemia Stable of Mrs. Richard C. du Pont, effective July 31.

MOTOR SPORTS—Former World Champion JOHN SURTEES of Britain, driving a new three-liter Ferrari, caught Austria's Jochen Rindt four laps from the finish and won the Belgian Grand Prix after rain squalls had caused a pileup that knocked eight of the 15-car field out of the race on the first lap. Jackie Stewart of Scotland was pulled from his racer by Indianapolis 500 winner, Graham Hill, himself the victim of a spin-out.

TENNIS—Trailing badly and on the verge of elimination, the U.S. Wightman Cup girls rallied with three wins to edge Great Britain 4-3 in the annual two-nation competition for women. After MARY ANN EISEL lost 6-3, 6-3 to Britain's Winnie Shaw to set the U.S. back three matches to one, NANCY RICHEY turned the tide by defeating Virginia Wade 2-6, 6-2, 7-5; Mrs. BILLIE JEAN MOFFITT KING beat Mrs. Ann Haydon Jones 5-7, 6-2, 6-3, despite a severe leg cramp; and the doubles team of Miss Richey and Miss Eisel defeated Rita Bentley and Liz Starkie 6-2, 6-1. It was the 32nd time in 38 tries that the U.S. has taken the trophy.

After a start plagued by rain, bad lighting and thin crowds, the opening round of the pro tour reached a thrilling finale at Forest Hills when ROD LAVER defeated fellow Australian Ken Rosewall 31-29 under the VASSS scoring system (page 58).

Arthur Ashe, the U.S.'s most promising player, was knocked out of a Kent pre-Wimbledon tune-up tourney in Beckenham by Ray Ruffels, an unranked Australian, 20-18, 6-2 after exhausting himself in a first set that lasted one hour and 40 minutes. Unfortunately, Ashe will have no opportunity to get even in the big British event. He has to come home to do a six-week hitch in the Army.

South Africa, trailing 2-0 at the end of the first singles, rallied to down Italy 3-2 in Rome and gain the finals of the European Zone B Davis Cup competition. The South African team will meet West Germany, a 3-2 victor over England.

TRACK—JIM RYUN (page 64) keeps setting records and disbelieving them. "I couldn't believe I broke the record," he said again after streaking to a 1:44.9 half mile—a world record this time—in the U.S. Track & Field Federation's national meet in Terre Haute, Ind. The next day Ryun relaxed by winning the mile in a lazy 4:02.8.

MILEPOSTS—MERGED: into one divisible whole (with, presumably, liberty and justice for all) after six years of sniping and snarling, the rival National and American Football Leagues (page 14).

TRADED: by the Chicago White Sox, Relief Pitcher EDDIE FISHER, who appeared in 82 games last season, winning 15, to the Baltimore Orioles for slick-fielding Second Baseman Jerry Adair.

RETIRED: from active play to take a position in the Detroit front office, DOUG BARKLEY, 29, star defenseman for the Detroit Red Wings, who lost the sight in one eye as the result of an injury suffered on January 30 while struggling for the puck with Doug Mohns of Chicago. Four operations have failed to restore Barkley's vision.

Before he became the premier postseason performer of his generation, the Patriots icon was a middling college quarterback who invited skepticism, even scorn, from fans and his coaches. That was all—and that was everything